Shalit Named Citizen of Paris

Captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was named an honorary citizen of Paris.

The French capital’s mayor, Bertrand Delanoe, and the City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to bestow the title on Shalit, a French-Israeli citizen kidnapped and held captive by Hamas since 2006.

“It is with immense joy that we have welcomed the news, which shows how well the French state is mobilized at every level to make it possible for a young man to regain his freedom and family,” said a statement by the group Collective Freedom for Gilad.

The French town of Raincy also named Shalit an honorary citizen in November, while the Grenoble City Hall hung his photo on their building facade last week.